Perspective part #2

After last night’s post on perspective I’m sitting in worship today and the Lord seems to give me chapter 2 of the “perspective” sermon He’s preaching to me. Eastwood’s choir was singing a “new” song … well I think it’s new to them anyway. It’s a 2009 Casting Crowns song entitled “If we’ve ever needed you.” There’s a place in the song where the lyrics are “If we've ever needed You Lord, it's now, Lord, it's now. We are desperate for Your hand. We're reaching out, we're reaching out. All our hearts, all our strength, with all our minds, we're at Your feet. May Your kingdom come in our hearts and lives.” As I listened tears welled up in my eyes and to be honest I began to have a bit of a pity party thinking about the things in my life that I’d change if I could; things that, as I shared in the sermon today that we all can say is true … things that just haven’t worked out completely the way I thought they would.

So amidst my pity party the Lord decides to show up and give me some more “perspective” and to be honest I was humbled by what He showed me. While I’m sitting feeling sorry about my “issues”, He directed my attention to the choir. I began to look row by row, face by face at those in the choir singing His praise; singing “If I ever needed you Lord it’s now!” As I looked I pulled out my worship folder and found a blank spot and began to make notes about what He showed me. Singing His praise today in choir were:
· A woman who not long ago battled breast cancer and the cloud of “what ifs” I’m sure is an ever present companion
· A sister who’s sibling is battling severe emotional issues
· A father with a daughter that is developmentally disabled
· A father with a wayward daughter
· A mother who is coping with the very recent tragic death of a son who died well before he should have
· A mother and grandmother dealing with having a daughter and grandson as missionaries overseas and the loneliness I’m sure that at times produces
· A lady with Lupus
· A daughter with unchurched or lost parents
· A man legally blind with many other health issues
· A police officer that I’m sure must have a heavy heart at times with all the sin and heartache he sees on a regular basis
· A husband and father fighting against the break-up of his family
· A father with a severely handicapped son
· A daughter who recently experienced the death of both parents
· A daughter whose aged father was recently in the hospital
· A wife who’s heart must ache for her husband as he grieves the death of his brother
· A daughter grieving the death of her father (her mother died a few years back)
· A lady who has lost much of her vision in one eye at a very early age
· A father with a wayward son
· A lady who has been battling all sorts of physical ailments
· A husband and wife praying for a wayward child

Now these were just the people singing in the choir, and as such were likely just a microcosm of the greater church family. My family has had some health issues as well as some struggles in finding God’s place for our lives but the point the Lord showed me is that our family is neither unique nor alone. Lamentations 3:21-24 says, “This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, therefore I hope in Him!” Psalm 33:18 states, “But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love.”

So is your heart heavy today? Are you feeling as though you have the weight of the world on your shoulders? Please know that you are not alone! Confess your belief in the Lord’s faithfulness and accept His grace to get you through this day. I have learned afresh and anew what the Apostle Paul said he learned when he prayed three times for the Lord to remove from him that painful thorn in the flesh. The Lord simply replied “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” So maybe today you are like me and feeling a bit weak .. that’s a good thing because now HIS strength can be made perfect and revealed through our weakness.